Easy Sautéed Zucchini Recipe

Your Guide to Summer Squash: How to Pick, Store, and Cook

When the zucchini in your garden is still slender and about 7-inches long – before they get big as baseball bats -- the seeds will be small and the flesh will be sweet.

Zucchini at this stage hardly needs any adornment. I like to cut my zucchini into thin coins and toss them in a hot skillet with some oil until they start to turn golden brown. That's it!

With only six ingredients and about 15 minutes of your time, you have a beautiful vegetable dish for your summer table.

How to Slice the Zucchini

I like to use a mandoline to slice the zucchini into thin, uniform circles, but you can also use a food processor with a slicing blade or your chef's knife. If the opening of your food processor is too small for whole zucchini, halve them lengthwise to make half-coins.

I like to add fresh dill and lemon zest to my sauté. They add just the right aromatics to the zucchini.

Tips for the Best Zucchini

Use a large skillet: Not only does this let you fit more zucchini in the pan, but it means more pieces get contact time with the hot skillet. Contact time means browned, golden bits!
Cook in batches: This way you don't crowd the pan and your zucchini sears instead of steams.
Don't stir for the first few minutes: This lets the zucchini on the bottom become nicely browned.
Cook until crisp-tender: Try a round or two of zucchini as it cooks. It's ready when tender all the way through and no longer crunchy, but still with a bit of bite.

Ways to Adapt This Recipe

Skip the dill and try another fresh herb instead, like basil, mint, chives, or thyme
Toss the warm zucchini with grated Parmesan
Toss with crumbled feta or goat cheese before serving
Sauté some garlic in the olive oil as it warms
Toss with slivered almonds or pine nuts
Mix the zucchini with some summer squash
Try this recipe with zucchini ribbons instead of coins!

What to Serve With Sautéed Zucchini

This simple sauté takes just a few minutes. Use it as a bed for grilled chicken or fish. It would also be great tossed with some pasta or a grain like farro or barley.

Any leftover zucchini is great served with a fried egg for breakfast the next day

More Simple Zucchini Recipes!

Easy Sautéed Zucchini

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Total Time 30 mins

Servings 6 to 8 servings

You can halve this recipe if cooking for four or fewer people.

6 medium zucchini (7-inches long, 2 1/2 pounds or 1.10 kg total)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Zest from one lemon

Prepare the zucchini:

Cut away the stem from the zucchini and trim the bottom end. Slice the zucchini into 1/8-inch rounds using a mandolin, food processor, or your very best knife skills.

Sheryl Julian
Cook the zucchini in two batches:

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add half the zucchini. Cook without stirring for 4 minutes, or until some of the rounds are golden when you lift them with a spatula.

Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper. Turn and cook 2 minutes more without disturbing or until more rounds are brown. Do this two more times. Not all the rounds will be browned but a lot of them will be. Transfer to a bowl.

Cook the second batch of zucchini with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in the same way. Return all the zucchini to the pan.

Sheryl Julian
Season the zucchini:

Sprinkle the hot zucchini with the dill and lemon zest, and toss well. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like.

Sheryl Julian
Serve hot or warm

Ingredients

Method